Deep within
China’s Hunan Province in Changsha, Fan Tianming, plant manager of the Jinjing
Tea Company estate, arrives early each day to operate more than 4,600 hectares
of sustainable tea gardens. As spring rains begin to accelerate tea leaf growth,
Fan prepares for the upcoming spring harvest.

These days, Fan's organic tea is in
high demand from domestic buyers and Western companies seeking more
environmentally-friendly farms.

“These gardens are
very important to the people of the Hunan Province. We are demonstrating that
through meaningful collective action, positive change for our environment and
future generations will happen,” said Fan.

That change is
greatly needed.

While Hunan
Province has achieved large-scale tea production through modern industrialization,
it came at a cost. Some modern practices have led to increased pollution and
contamination. Combine these challenges with an increasing population, and the
sustainability of land and water resources, and the safety and health of this
crop was at risk.

With total
tea garden areas exceeding 121,000 hectares and total yields of more than
165,000 tons, this world-renowned
tea-growing region has a responsibility and opportunity to support and
participate in sustainable agriculture practices. Working with Coca-Cola and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the
Jinjing Tea Company embraced this notion and has experienced both environmental
and economic wins.

As a purchaser of
agricultural ingredients for our products, at Coca-Cola we hold ourselves and
our suppliers to sourcing standards that support sustainable
agriculture for the long-term benefit of our Company and
stakeholders, especially the farmers and communities that cultivate the crops
upon which we all rely.

Partnering with
WWF, we are implementing projects to help improve farm production and
practices. Through the introduction of our Sustainable
Agricultural Guiding Principles, new and improved
processes have enabled suppliers to improve crop yields and farmer incomes
while reducing environmental impact.

Coca-Cola and WWF
began working with the Jinjing Tea Company in 2013 to introduce sustainable
farming practices. Through collaboration, they built water-collecting and
irrigation systems, constructed wetlands, and began using scientifically
advanced biological fertilizers. These efforts reduced agriculture-generated pollution
and improved the ecosystem and biological diversity of the tea farm. The farm
now meets Coca-Cola’s sustainable
sourcing requirements, passed certification of organic food in the United
States and Germany, and its products are growing in demand.

Hundreds of
visitors are attracted to Jinjing Tea Company gardens each week for the
beautiful scenery, tea picking and sightseeing tours. This tourism adds a new
source of income for the business, now a model for sustainable practices.

Coca-Cola’s
sustainable agriculture efforts extend throughout China, partnering with civil
society, government and business for considerable results:

In Guangxi, we are exploring ways to achieve a mutually
beneficial solution for the economy and environment by supporting sugarcane
farmers in adopting various irrigation techniques designed to save water,
reduce the use of pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides, and encouraging utilization
of wastewater and sugarcane bagasse.

In Songyuan, Jilin Province, we are partnering with WWF
and Cargill to bring awareness to sustainable corn farming to reduce
environmental impact and improve local corn growers’ income.

In Guangyuan, with WWF, we are encouraging the
sustainable planting of pear orchards, controlling the use of pesticides and
chemical fertilizers, and restoring surface vegetation to protect the
small-scale river basins.

Achieving
real progress on sustainable agriculture practices requires engagement from all
stakeholders—civil society, government and business. Together, we can help both
minimize impact and bring economic and social value to the communities we
serve.

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, offering over 500 brands to people in more than 200 countries. Of our 21 billion-dollar brands, 19 are available in lower- or no-sugar options to help people moderate their consumption of added sugar. In addition to our namesake Coca-Cola drinks, some of our leading brands around the world include: AdeS soy-based beverages, Ayataka green tea, Dasani waters, Del Valle juices and nectars, Fanta, Georgia coffee, Gold Peak teas and coffees, Honest Tea, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Simply juices, smartwater, Sprite, vitaminwater, and Zico coconut water. At Coca-Cola, we’re serious about making positive contributions to the world. That starts with reducing sugar in our drinks and continuing to introduce new ones with added benefits. It also means continuously working to reduce our environmental impact, creating rewarding careers for our associates and bringing economic opportunity wherever we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people around the world.